DIY Flavor Shack Holy Holy Grail RY4 v2
TeslaDelMar
Sometime in July, DIY Flavor Shack decided to reformulate some of their flavors. One of those affected was the beloved Holy Holy Grail RY4. I picked up a bottle of the v1 right before it sailed off into the sunset and got some of the v2 a month ago. What follows is an attempt to compare and contrast these concentrates in order to better assist you in your purchasing decisions.
Thanks to the original HHGRY4 review, which was a big part of the reason I got the flavor in the first place.
There are a number of fantastic recipes that use this concentrate, the most obvious being Cardinal by fear. I’d also like to give a shout out to Raven by /u/ID10-T as I consider it the most innovative of the Cardinal derivatives I have seen.
Hardware: DNA250C @ 250°C/80W, Pixie RDA, 5 wrap 3mm ID fused clapton (3*30ga / 38ga) SS316L @ 0.22 Ohms, 100% cotton wick.
Mixing: 80/20 VG/PG. Mixed at 5%, steeped for one week.
Version One
Flavor profile: This flavor tastes sweet and savory to me all at once. I think the strongest part of the flavor is the caramel, followed by the vanilla with the tobacco a distant third. I can’t identify what type of tobacco is in here, but it’s likely a blend and mixed weakly. There is also a toasted/nutty note on the exhale. It’s not quite peanut butter, but that might be what they were going for.
Throat hit: 2/10 - this flavor is pretty smooth, definitely not a strong throat hit, but there is a hint of harshness around the nutty flavor which is welcome considering this is likely to be used primarily in tobacco recipes.
Uses: To me, HHGRY4 checks all of the boxes for an RY4. It’s got a little bit of sweetness, good caramel base, and some interesting (if incomplete) tobacco notes. It smooths out potential rough edges in tobaccos and can bring some depth to simpler dessert profiles.
Pairings: I could see this going well with INW Shisha Vanilla and most of the tobaccos. Probably doesn’t mix well with tobaccos that have a unique flavor, like FLV Cavendish or INW Black for Pipe.
Off-flavors: Almost none. Compared to TPA RY4 Double it’s very refreshing with only the slightest hint of a cloying chemical taste. I think this could be used as high as 8 or 10% if you wanted a bold RY4.
Version Two
Flavor profile: There’s less caramel flavor in this one. The whole thing feels a bit weaker, but there is the same trio of caramel, vanilla, and tobacco. The caramel is much less prominent and the flavors feel a bit more balanced, which doesn’t work to its credit.
Throat hit: 3/10 - there’s a light throat hit on the inhale, but less of the toasted note on the exhale that was causing the throat hit with the v1.
Uses: At anything under 6% I can’t see this being much more than a complement to other, stronger flavors. You’d need to add at least a caramel and probably some vanilla to it for it to be a bold RY4.
Pairings: Very similar to the v1 - the only thing I’d add for this one is that you will likely want to bring another caramel along for the ride.
Off-flavors: Because this tastes a bit weaker overall compared to the v1, I also totally lose any off flavors that were present in the v1 as well. After bumping this mix up to 8% it has a similar off-taste to the v1 at 5%.
Comparison
I went into this expecting the v2 to be a lot worse. It’s actually not really worse or better than the v1, however it tastes quite a bit less potent. From that perspective, it is a bit disappointing, as it means you get less mileage from each bottle. However, this test has removed my hesitation to mix any older recipes because I think the v2 is a good substitute at a slightly higher percentage.
In short, there is good news! Holy Holy Grail RY4 isn’t dead, not as far as I am concerned anyway. What it lacks in potency it makes up for in versatility - a concentrate you can use at a low or high percentage that works with a variety of different profiles and flavors. It didn’t get any better, but it didn’t get much worse. I wouldn’t rush out to get a huge supply of the new stuff because there are likely other better RY4s you can make yourself from the constituent ingredients, but we don’t have to bury all of the old recipes in a pit in the desert, either.
Thanks for reading, and I hope your mixing is pleasant and prosperous!